Tom Cruise‘s secretive new project has finally been unveiled in the first look at his epic new comedy from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. After starring in Top Gun: Maverick and the final chapter of his Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise is leaning into his comedic side in what is sure to be one of the most anticipated projects of the new year. Featuring a star-studded cast and crew, Iñárritu seems to have delivered another singular vision with one of the biggest movie stars of our lifetime.
Warner Bros. has released the first teaser for Digger, a new film described as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Official plot details remain slim, Cruise is portraying Digger Rockwell, a mysterious man who sports a shovel in the brief footage. Cruise is mostly obscured in shadow, but it is clear he is wearing a heavy dose of prosthetics and make-up to age him up. Even though early reports stated the film followed a powerful man whose own creation is bound to destroy the world, it is hard to gauge how accurate that is based on the teaser, which can be watched below.
Digger is set to hit theaters on October 2, 2026. The cast features Cruise, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman, and Pip Torrens. Iñárritu directed the film based on a script he co-wrote alongside Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolás Giacobone. Digger made headlines earlier this year when filming had to be halted when Goodman suffered a hip injury during production. There was a brief delay in shooting, with Warner Bros. confirming that production returned once Goodman made a full recovery the following week.
Alejandro González Iñárritu Teases New Comedy ‘Digger’
After filming concluded on Digger earlier this year, Alejandro González Iñárritu revealed exciting new details on the top-secret project. He remained as vague as ever about the actual plot, but praised Tom Cruise and the rest of the main cast as the perfect people to carry the film. Iñárritu is no stranger to collaborating with the most talented actors in the industry, so it is no small statement that he believed Cruise was the perfect person to anchor the “character-driven” film.
“I’m so excited. It was an incredible experience with Tom, Sandra Huller, Jesse Plemmons, with Riz Ahmed, but it’s a character-driven film mounted on the shoulders of Tom, which I knew was exactly the right person.”
While Iñárritu denied the reports that stated the film revolved around Cruise playing “a powerful man who believes he’s also a savior,” the filmmaker confirmed that it was a “wild comedy of catastrophic proportions.” In fact, it sounds like the film is carried by Cruise’s unique range and ability to tap into the comedic essence of the storyline.
“No, the thing that I can tell you. This is a wild comedy of catastrophic proportions. It’s insane. He makes me laugh every day. The range that I discovered working with Tom is unprecedented for me as a director. I was so f*cking impressed and happy.
“He has an incredible sense of passion. It’s a brutal comedy. It’s a wild comedy of human nature. It’s scary and funny. It’s beautiful. I will start editing next week.”
Release Date
October 2, 2026
Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writers
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris
